The News That Matters about the Nuclear Industry

WTO panel rules on Korea’s ban on Japanese seafood

September 28th. Banners and calls for government action at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square: “We oppose imports of radioactive, contaminated Japanese seafood.”

A dozen civic groups are protesting the lifting of an import ban on Japanese seafood.

“It’s been more than six years since the Fukushima nuclear disaster, but radiation-tainted water is still being released into the sea. If the government lifts the restrictions, contaminated Japanese seafood will enter Korea.”

Following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, the Korean government slapped a temporary import ban on Japanese food. It then extended the ban to all fishery products from eight Japanese prefectures around Fukushima in September 2013, citing safety concerns.

In mid-2015, Tokyo lodged a complaint with the World Trade Organization against the restrictions.

After several bilateral meetings, a dispute resolution panel was set up in Feburary 2016, and this weekthe WTO panel sent its first dispute resolution report.

“Yes, both Seoul and Tokyo received the panel’s interim decision on Tuesday. For now, we cannot reveal the outcome as the concerning party’s duty. The result will be made public next spring, after it’s translated into three languages. What we can say now is that we will take measures if we think the panel’s ruling poses a risk to public health.”

In the complaint, Japan argued the Korean government lacked an explanation and scientific proof to back its restriction measures, adding Seoul had failed respond to Tokyo’s requests to answer its questions.

“In 2014 and 2015, Korea dispatched experts to conduct inspections in Fukushima. But, according to what I’ve found through information disclosure requests, under pressure from the Japanese government, the team didn’t conduct inspections in deep water, oceanfloor deposits as originally planned. Such inspections are critical to finding levels of contamination.”

The inspection team was disbanded in 2015 without a clear reason, and there was no final report on the inspection.

Experts believe it’s highly likely Korea lost the first panel ruling.

Once the outcome is made public next year, Korea has 60 days to hold discussions with Japan, and 15 months of appeal process, if it decides to do so.

“The Korean government needs to see how Japan is controlling its radiation tainted water, and conduct a thorough inspection in Fukushima, including of deep seawater, to show the import ban is fair. Secondly, the Korean government needs to take active measures to release whatever the inspection team found in 2014 and 2015 to restore people’s trust.”

Importing food is a matter of a nation’s sovereign rights.

A number of other countries, including China, Russia, Singapore and the U.S. all have some sort of import restriction measures, with China banning imports from ten prefectures in Japan, and Russia banning not just fresh seafood, but processed seafood.

Thus, the WTO ruling could have a broader impact and give Japan the basis to claim that food produced in the Fukushima region is 99 percent safe.

“There’s no safety level. Food safety standards differ according to the scientific research methods and the machines you use. No matter how small, radioactive material like Cesium, which stays in a natural state for a long time, accumulates in fish. If consumed by people, there’s a possibility it can cause cancer.”

Following the import ban in 2011, Japanese seafood imports to Korea have slumped to less than half the level they were at before the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Many Koreans are worried about the possible resumption of seafood imports from Japan.

“Then, people won’t be conscious or cautious of food from Fukushima, and I’m worried my child will eat Japanese seafood. The government should protect the public’s health.”

“With concerns about radioactive contamination in seafood imports from Japan, and a lack of transparency from the government, the Korean public is calling on the administration to take the necessary measures that guarantee the safety of the nation’s food supply.

The macho men who make the nuclear killing decisions – theme for February 2018

These are the macho men who are deciding how to spend the American tax-payers’ $trillions that are not being spent on health, education, essential services, essential welfare, environment .

And this is their palace – the Pentagon, far away from the ordinary things of ordinary lives.

America is the worst – but the same scenario is being played out by the macho men in Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Britain, and of course, North Korea.

Working people pay for this – with their taxes.

And – the insanity of the system is that very many of those working people depend on the killing machine for their jobs – making a living now, in the service of the system that will kill their children.

For many macho men – the satisfaction of knowing that they can kill millions of “enemy” children, women and men is apparently worth it all. A strange satisfaction -for, even if they survive themselves – what will victory really look like?

Is it not time that women took over the decision making?

Standing Strong – How South Australian won the campaign against an international high-level nuclear waste dump